Timebomb
by Rosebud White
Summary: A stranger is found in the woods.  Is there more to her amnesia than first thought?  Can Merlin discover the secret before the time runs out?
1. Prologue

**Timebomb**

_AN: Just a thought of a story I've had. Feedback welcome, I'll write more with positive reviews!_

* * *

><p>Darkness.<p>

Green, those are leaves. Brown, tree trunks. Trees, woods, forests. I am standing in a forest. I know this.

Darkness.

Green again, but now blue too. I must have fallen. Yes, I am lying down. A voice. A loud voice is screaming. It is my voice. Help me. Help me.

Darkness.

A face, a smile, dark hair, blue eyes, ears. Why am I drawn to his ears? He is speaking words I do not understand… but yes, I do know what he is saying, they are words of power. Another voice. It is his, he calls to one side before turning back to me. He says I am safe. He says I will find peace.

Darkness.

I am moving but not moving. I am being carried, high from the ground. I see the dark head again, he is moving to one side of me too. Horse. He rides a horse. Another voice above me. I am being carried by another man, on a horse. Blue eyes again, but blonde this time and hair on his face. He asks if I am well. I stutter a yes. He asks my name. This I do not know. He asks if I know how I got in the woods. This too I do not know. Realisation. I know nothing. He shifts his arms to hold me tighter in the saddle. He says in Camelot I will find safety. Camelot. I try the unfamiliar word and ask what is Camelot? He laughs and points ahead of us. Turning my head I see white towers touching the sky. Sighing, I let the darkness come this time.

Darkness.

Silver hair and silver eyes this time. Kindly eyes too. He talks to the dark haired one, not knowing I am awake. I catch snippets of their speech: No memory, no physical injuries, druid, sorcery. I turn my head to them and they see I am awake. There are more questions. Who am I? Where am I from? What are these markings? Markings? I look at my wrists. Swirls adorn them, they have a meaning, I know they do. But I cannot reach the knowledge. It is buried in a fog. They say the king will want to see me. The darkness calls again but I feel I can keep it at bay longer each time. I must rest.

Darkness.

* * *

><p>The witch known as Morgana covered the scrying glass with the velvet cloth. It was all too simple. Now it was just a matter of time.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

Sir Leon paced back and forth along the cloister with a determination that belied his need to rid himself of his anxiety. Merlin, on the other hand, stood against the arch hugging himself with one arm whilst methodically chewing the skin from around the fingernail of his thumb of the other. The door at the end opened and Gaius appeared. The two younger men jumped from their reveries to greet the physician.

"She sleeps." He told them matter of fact, pre-empting their first question. "But she will not sleep forever and Arthur will need to be told sooner or later."

"We should never have brought her back here. She's too dangerous." Leon's face stole into a hard stare at Merlin.

Merlin sensing the jibe retaliated "It was your idea! Why did you even suggest it when you are the first in line to insult the druids?"

"I... I don't know. But you saw her out there, she couldn't have done any magic even if she'd tried."

Gaius stepped between them. "She's here now and we have to deal with it. She has at least stopped blacking out and is genuinely sleeping now. We can give her some food and then suggest she leave Camelot as soon as she is fit. But where she will go, I cannot know, with no memory she is bandit fodder." The younger men both nodded realising the truth in Gaius' words. "I will go back to my patient now. You two I'm sure have jobs to do, I will tell you as soon as there is any change."

And with that he turned and went back up to his study leaving the younger men alone once again. Sir Leon nodded once again to Merlin and with a curt "Goodbye" he was gone across the yard to the armoury. Merlin himself wandered towards Arthur's chambers slowly to allow himself time to reflect on the past twenty four hours.

* * *

><p>It had been Arthur's suggestion for Merlin to accompany Leon on the patrol. He knew that their relationship was the weakest of the group. Merlin got on well with the knights of common blood but Leon's often haughty and sometimes arrogant manner had kept the two at arm's length. So there they had been riding through the woods looking for signs of bandits and outlaws when the scream had come. Merlin had reached her first. The crumpled creature before him was wild and unkempt with a ragged dress that at one time may have been elegant. Her face was drawn in an agonised contort whilst her arms and legs shook and her eyes flickered behind closed lids. As her body calmed and her eyes had opened to him he began the simple healing spell. It was all he could do in the time before Leon had found them. Lifting her on to Leon's horse, they spied the tattoos along her arms for the first time. It meant only one thing as both had seen such marks before. Merlin had hesitated but it was the Knight who had insisted that she needed a physician. Her revelation that she did not know who she was seemed a curious notion. Leon was naturally sceptical and even Gaius had expressed his doubts at her words. However, as the day and night had passed and she continued to fit and black out they knew that no one could keep up such an illusion for so long. Gaius' first suggestion, which still seemed the most plausible, was that she had attempted a spell beyond her capabilities that backfired, but what to do in the immediate was still a conundrum. It was at times like this Merlin wished he still had someone to confide in. Kilgarrah was far away, Lancelot gone and even Gwen was too busy these days.<p>

* * *

><p>As the torches across the city gutted out a silhouette moved across the dark and quiet study. It pulled back the door and stepped into the deserted corridor. The cloaked figure seemed to glide along the halls and passageways of the castle until it reached a door to one of the court noble's chambers. Lifting its hand to the wood, it uttered some words that were not of this world and in a voice not entirely the owners. It was at that moment that Molly Baker, the night chambermaid, rounded the corner and came across the figure. The maid and the apparition stood a few feet apart not moving or making a sound for several seconds before both realised what was happening. Before Molly could get out a scream the figure raised its hand to her and uttered further words. The scream and Molly's heart stopped in an instant. With her last breaths, the maid looked up from the floor and saw a face that reminded her of a former castle resident, yet rounder and with eyes of pure white. The figure stared down briefly, with those unseeing eyes, with little regard for its victim, turned round, and resumed its task.<p>

* * *

><p>Knocking and opening the door to Gaius' study, Sir Leon did not expect the sight that greeted him. Gaius and Merlin were frantically running around the room alternating between lifting and flicking through books before discarding them and picking up vials and jars, before glancing and placing back down as well. These deaths around the castle had obviously not been as ordinary as Arthur had tried to make out. The girl sat at the table with a mug of water and a heel of bread watching them run backwards and forwards, obviously feeling helpless as Leon. He decided to make himself known.<p>

"Cough." Merlin stopped dead in his tracks, Gaius took a second more to come to a full stop. "Can I help or do anything?"

"Thank you but no. We don't know what we're looking for but I'm not even sure we'll know when we find it." Gaius flung another book down on a growing tower.

"Arthur just stood in front of the rest of the council and claimed there was nothing to worry about."

Gaius nodded "He has to keep order, it would not do for his council to start panicking. One death could be explained like that, but four? No. This has something else behind it. Lord Eldin and Lord Giles were old men; their hearts could have easily stopped during the night. But Sir Francis and poor Molly were in the prime of their lives."

Leon agreed "Arthur is struggling to keep Uther's old council members as it is. Lord Rokeby is talking of taking his lands and fealty over to King Lot." Gaius raised an eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong, he's in the minority but it won't do for this to go unexplained for much longer."

"Which is why I am going to examine the bodies now; Merlin, do you have everything?" The young man indicated so and Gaius turned back to Leon. "Do you mind keeping our guest company for a little while?"

Leon's attention turned back to the girl at the table and smiled. "Of course, I'm not on duty until this afternoon I was going to offer as much." With that, Gaius and Merlin disappeared to attend to the crisis in hand.

Turning to the girl, he remembered his gift. Stepping towards her, he brought forth from his belt pouch a small bunch of stout stems. "I picked them from the training yard this morning, they seem to grow everywhere and they are quite pretty." She looked slightly perplexed but took the flowers regardless, examining their colour and scent. Seeing her confusion, Leon sat on the bench opposite her and continued, "It is customary when someone is ill to bring them small gifts to cheer them, flowers are thought to be best. I believe these are called violets. Not that you're ill exactly but you're stuck in here."

"Thank you Leon, that is most kind." She reached along the table and took the small mug in which Merlin had taken his breakfast water and placed the flowers gently in it. "Violets." She repeated the word taking time to look over them once again.

At the same time Leon too took his time to look over at the girl. Now that she had bathed and been found a new dress he was struck at how pretty she was, her dark curls tumbling over her shoulders and full lips were especially pleasing to the eye. Admittedly he felt that it was not her she was drawn to but the one she doppleganged. He had gazed upon Morgana for years and watched her grow from timid young girl to confident woman. He had even contemplated asking Uther for her hand at one point. Yet these past years had seen her beauty and attraction melt into evil ugliness which hung over her like an unpleasant odour.

The girl came out of her daydream before Leon and asked "Are you okay Sir?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine. I did have a thought though. Violet can be used as a girl's name too. If you are still unsure what you are really named it could be a good one to use. It suits you and it would save us calling you She."

"Violet." Again she repeated the word, a habit she had when trying to subject something to her erratic memory. "I think I like it. Thank you Leon."

"Now, Violet," He stressed the new name as he stood and held out his hand to her, "would you care to walk with me around the castle grounds, I can show you where the violets grow."

"I'd be delighted." She smiled and took his hand for her first tour of the castle.

* * *

><p>The witch Morgana unrolled parchment once more and picked up the quill. Dipping it into the ink with care, she dragged it slowly across the page making a definite mark across three of the names listed there. As she lay the pen down, she shook her head and dismissed the thoughts of guilt and regret that seemed to well in her for the innocent maid. She could never afford to be sorry for those who stood in her way. As long as they were in Camelot they were her enemy and, as far as she was concerned, anything but innocent.<p> 


End file.
